Game to be broadcast on ESPN3

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (Sept. 25, 2013) – The ETSU volleyball team looks to extend on its winning streak Thursday night when the Bucs head to Spartanburg for an Atlantic Sun clash with USC Upstate. Game time is set for 6 p.m., inside the Hodge Center.

The Bucs, winners of four straight and eight of its last 12, enter the conference match at 8-6, 2-0.

LAST TIME OUT

- ETSU opened A-Sun play last weekend with a pair of wins at Mercer and Kennesaw State.

- As a team, the Blue and Gold out-blocked the Bears and Owls, 30.5 to 9.0, while also holding a plus-22 margin in kills (108-86), plus-18 in assists (102-84), and plus-17 in digs (126-109).

- Junior Meredith Hardy (Kingsport, Tenn.) was named A-Sun Defensive Player of the Week after averaging 2.25 kills (18 total) and 2.38 blocks (19 total) in the two wins down in Georgia. Hardy set a season high with 11 blocks at Kennesaw State, marking the most by any A-Sun player this season.

- USC Upstate is led by sophomore outside hitter Kayla Eversgerd as she leads the team with 102 kills and 116 digs.

- The Spartans rank second in the conference in digs per set (15.24), but opponents have nearly 100 more kills (477-383), 40 more blocks (81-43) and 30 more service aces (67-38) than USC Upstate.

SERIES HISTORY

- Since joining the A-Sun, ETSU is 7-3 all-time against the Spartans and the Bucs have won four of the last five matches.

- Last year the teams split the series with each school winning on their home floor. Overall, the Bucs have won three of the five matches played in Spartanburg.

- In five career matches (18 total sets), Devine has averaged 4.33 kills and 3.61 digs against the Spartans. Devine has also posted three straight double-doubles versus USC Upstate.

- Junior Ivey Rice (Johnson City, Tenn.) has two double-doubles in four career matches against USC Upstate. Rice finished with 16 kills and 12 digs in the four-set win last season, and also totaled 13 kills and 19 digs in a 3-1 win at USC Upstate in 2011.

COVERAGE

- Thursday’s match will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and live stats will be available by visiting UpstateSpartans.com.

- Twitter updates can be accessed by following @ETSUVolleyball and @ETSUAthletics.

TEXT CASTER

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NOTABLES

- Megan Devine has recorded eight double-doubles on the season, moving her career total to 60. The reigning A-Sun Player of the Year has finished with double-doubles in each of her last three matches.

- Devine, the all-time ETSU career leader in kills (1,637) is 110 kills away from breaking the all-time conference record, which was set in 2010 by Lipscomb’s Alex Kelly. The Kingsport, Tenn. native currently ranks 12th nationally in kills per set (4.54) and 18th in points per set (5.09).

- Meredith Hardy has recorded at least one block in 76 consecutive matches and currently ranks eighth nationally in blocks per set (1.51). Hardy enters Thursday’s match with 319 career block assists and is 13 shy of setting the ETSU all-time record. The junior middle blocker has 370 career blocks, which rank fourth all-time in program history and are five away from moving into second. Hardy’s 370 blocks also put her sixth among A-Sun career leaders.